Apple iPad mini makes low key debut

Apple fans shows off their newly purchased Apple's iPad minis in front of the Apple Store Ginza in Tokyo November 2, 2012. / REUTERS
TOKYO - The iPad mini got off to a low-key start Friday, with little of the hype-fuelled razzmatazz of earlier Apple launches, as analysts said the costly creation may have come too late to the 7-inch market.

Around 300 people queued up outside Apple's flagship store in Tokyo, some wearing fancy dress, to get their hands on a device the company insists is more than just a shrunken version of its popular tablet.

At least 20 people spent the night outside the shop in the upmarket Ginza area, but the launch was missing some of the pizzazz of earlier offerings, with the queue quickly dissipating after an initial rush.

In tech-mad Singapore numbers were well down on previous launches -- that have seen several hundred fans camp out -- while in Hong Kong around 30 people queued to pick up their pre-ordered devices before the Apple store opened.

It was a similar story in Sydney where there was nothing like the days-long queues for the new generation iPhone 5.

"Looks like most ordered it online," one person in the small queue told reporters.

"It's completely different (from the regular iPad)," said Ayano in Tokyo, who did not give her surname.

"It is thinner and very light. Look, you can hold it in one hand."

Around three dozen markets in Asia and Europe, as well as the United States, were due to see launches of the Wi-Fi only version on Friday.

In Seoul a 200-strong queue, some of whom had camped out overnight, had their patience rewarded from 8am, with one man telling AFP Apple was a better buy for his 4-year-old daughter.

"I prefer iPad to Android devices because it has more content for children like my daughter," he said.

Die-hard fans noted there was less of a fanfare this time around.

"It's not surprising people wait for hours to be the first to get new Apple devices, but now the hype doesn't seem to be as big as before," said Kim Tae-Min.

Ahead of the launch analysts had warned the starting price of $329 might seem steep to budget-minded shoppers who can buy Google Nexus or Amazon Kindle tablets for $199.

"Devotion to Apple products has been compared to a religion," said an analyst from the US-based firm Gartner.

"But, I don't think Apple will be as dominant in the seven-inch tablet space because they let the Kindle Fire and the Nexus get a foothold in the market at a considerably lower price."

Mark Ranson, associate analyst at global technology research firm Ovum, said the iPad mini marked something of a departure because it was an instance of Apple following the crowd, rather than setting the pace.

"This reactive nature of the iPad mini launch was largely the cause of the more muted public response," he said.

Ranson said increasing competition was squeezing Apple.

"It has become very difficult to create new form factors in the smart device market and increasingly we are seeing incremental changes in device specifications (rather) than new product categories altogether.

"Samsung's continued growth, Google's further push into the device market with its Nexus line of products and the strong performance of Amazon's Kindle Fire, are all conspiring to bridge the gap between Apple and its competitors."

Apple's senior vice president for marketing Phil Schiller helped unveil the iPad mini last week, saying that it was an entirely new design and not "just a shrunken down iPad".

Schiller said the iPad mini weighs 308 grams (0.68 pounds), less than half the original, and is 7.2 mm (less than a third of an inch) thick.

Like later versions of the original iPad, the new Apple tablet also features rear- and front-facing cameras. It also has stereo speakers.

The launch came after British judges told Apple it had to re-write an "inaccurate" statement relating to its patent dispute with South Korean rival Samsung.

The company was told last month to post a message on its website saying Samsung's Galaxy tablet computers had not infringed iPad designs.

But Samsung complained that the message did not comply with the court order because it included comments on other rulings in Germany and the United States which had favoured Apple.

Agence France-Presse
1:46 am | Tuesday, November 6th, 2012
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SAN FRANCISCO—Apple said Monday it sold three million iPads in the first three days of its launch of the iPad mini and fourth-generation model of its original format iPad.
The tech giant said demand for iPad mini “exceeded the initial supply,” meaning some orders will be delayed until later this month.
Apple did not break down precise sales of the mini — the 7.9-inch (20 centimeter) tablet which joins several other small-format tablets — and the new iPad, which has a 10-inch (25 centimeter) screen.
“Customers around the world love the new iPad mini and fourth-generation iPad,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, in a statement.
“We set a new launch weekend record and practically sold out of iPad minis. We’re working hard to build more quickly to meet the incredible demand.”
Both iPad mini and the new fourth generation iPad were launched Friday in 34 countries, in Wi-Fi only versions. Apple will be selling the tablets with mobile connectivity in a few weeks.
The iPad mini weighs 0.68 pounds, 53 percent lighter than Apple’s third generation iPad. It is 7.2 millimeters (0.28 inches) thick, 23 percent thinner than the original iPad and thinner than a pencil.
The iPad mini with Wi-Fi connectivity and 16 gigabytes of memory costs $329, the 32GB model sells for $429 and the 64GB version for $529. It is more expensive than rivals from Google, Amazon and other makers.
Apple’s senior vice president for marketing Phil Schiller helped unveil the iPad mini, insisting that it was an entirely new design and not “just a shrunken down iPad”.
Like later versions of the original iPad, the new Apple tablet features rear- and front-facing cameras, and also has stereo speakers.
Apple shares, which have been under pressure in recent weeks, rose 1.5 percent to $585.78 in late morning trade and analysts reacted favorable to the sales report.
“We believe the release is a positive surprise,” said Ben Reitzes at Barclays.
“Given today’s announcement, we believe our estimate for (current quarter) iPad mini sales of 6.5 million units could be conservative, especially in the event Apple improves supply.”
Peter Misek at Jefferies said the sales were “stronger than our expectations” of two million units.
“We expect sales will continue to be strong in the fourth quarter with the addition of the LTE (mobile) models, launches in new countries (including China), and holiday demand,” he said in a note to clients.